Annual Swedesburg smörgåsbord set Dec. 6

SWEDESBURG — Plans are under way for the long-standing Swedish Smörgåsbord which takes place at the Parish Hall in Swedesburg on the first Thursday in December each year, which is Dec. 6 this year.

Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday at the Swedesburg Parish Hall. Only 400 tickets will be available.

Smörgåsbord has been an annual event since 1938 except for a couple years during World War II when rationing limited access to necessary ingredients to prepare the feast.

The menu consists of traditional Scandinavian dishes such as, fruktsoppa (fruit soup), bruna bönor (brown beans), Svenska köttbuller (Swedish meatballs), potatiskorv (potato sausage) and desserts rigrynsgröt (rice pudding), ostakaka (a special custard like cake), äppelkaka (apple cake) and Lingonberries shipped here from Sweden and as well as many other dishes. All are made from recipes handed down through generations.

Tours of the church will be available and the Swedish Museum will be open.

The event’s purpose is charitable. Each year all profit from the event is given to mission work, either in this community, or to national or internationally related missions.

Work groups have been established and volunteer are needed. Anyone interested in assisting, or for additional information, contact the Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church office at 319-254-2216 or email office@swedesburglutheran.org.